Barnes: New home and travel section makes its debut

Nancy C. Barnes says Escapes offers readers content that spotlights local getaways and faraway destinations, along with the latest in home trends.

By Nancy C. Barnes

Updated 3:27 pm, Saturday, February 1, 2014

Photo: Michael Paulsen, Staff

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Nancy Barnes poses for a photo in the Houston Chronicle Photo Studio, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, in Houston. Barnes was named Wednesday as editor and executive vice president of the Houston Chronicle. ( Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle ) less

Nancy Barnes poses for a photo in the Houston Chronicle Photo Studio, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, in Houston. Barnes was named Wednesday as editor and executive vice president of the Houston Chronicle. ( ... more

Photo: Michael Paulsen, Staff

Barnes: New home and travel section makes its debut

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For years, my favorite way to spend Sunday mornings has been curled up in a corner of a local coffee shop, reading my own newspaper as well as other big national papers. Sometimes, though, I just sit back, sip my coffee, and secretly watch the other patrons, often deeply engrossed in a particular story or section of the paper our staff has produced.

I've been doing this for years, from a local shop on Franklin Street, in Chapel Hill, N.C., in the 1990s to my new early morning retreat near downtown Houston, where I have been living since joining the Chronicle in October.

It's deeply gratifying to see that even amid the technological and digital revolution that has engulfed this industry in the past decade, the Sunday newspaper remains an important part of your weekend ritual - however you choose to read us.

That's why we are spending this year remaking - and adding new content - to many sections of the Sunday Houston Chronicle, from in-depth investigations and profiles in the A section, to new features throughout many of our other destination sections.

Today, we introduce Escapes, our new section for travel and home.

Escapes is a beautifully designed, all-color section that takes you around the world and back home again, exploring the many ways readers can get away from the stresses of daily life. Why Escapes? Because readers told us in surveys that they missed this type of content in the Sunday paper.

Each week, we'll spotlight a new destination, from faraway places to quick weekend getaways. Escapes will include travel deals, expert tips, hotel news and great gear.

On the home front, expect exclusive tours of Houston houses, as well as decorating trends, designers, products and new décor stores. Our Gauge column will feature a by-the-numbers snapshot of Houston real estate.

"This splashy Sunday section is for armchair travelers and jet-setters, as well as those looking for inspiration to make their home a retreat," said Melissa Aguilar, our senior editor for features. "We want to get you involved, too. Every Sunday, we'll run travel photos from our readers."

As we are launching Escapes, we are collapsing Style as a stand-alone section. But many of the features in that section, such as fashion and society coverage, can now be found under the Style banner inside the Star section.

These are the first of many changes to come in the Sunday Houston Chronicle, the daily paper, and on our digital platforms.

By the end of the year, nearly every section of the Sunday printed paper will have a complete makeover, both in terms of content and design. We'll be tweaking some of the typography as well, and you can get early glimpses of what's to come in the new Escapes flag.

In the newsroom, we are also adding new beats and some additional reporters to provide readers with more complete and in-depth coverage of the greater Houston region and its suburbs.

I'll keep readers informed about these changes, as well as other important developments in the newsroom in this occasional column on our Outlook pages. Meanwhile, you can send me your feedback on the new Escapes section or other elements of the Chronicle at nancy.barnes@chron.com.

Thank you for reading the Houston Chronicle.

Barnes is editor and executive vice president of the Houston Chronicle.